Gas fired chick brooder device



April 14, 1.970 c. H; MILLER 3,505,976

GAS FIRED CHICK BROODER DEVICE i I Filed Nov. 29. 1967 9 d la l LZ Flgljl 9 1 4 y' A, 'l, l. 3 f, vf 5", i "M vf'vx" ,'mf "i V .1f Vw' MN,",Rv; ,a "K" ,v1 ff'a'mxw' if 43 YNVPNTOR,

39 mmf/HMH@ YOU/)g4- Thompson ATTORNEYS United States Patent() 3,505,976GAS FIRED CHICK BROODER DEVICE Conrad H. Miller, Rogers, Ark., assignorto Hoyt Corporation, Rogers, Ark. Filed Nov. 29, 1967, Ser. No. 686,446Int. Cl. A01k 31/20 U.S. Cl. 119-32 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSUREThe present invention relates to chick brooders, more particularly ofthe type in which a burner is disposed beneath a suspended downwardlyconcave hood.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a l chick brooderhaving improved structure for radiating heat downwardly.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a chick brooderin which the ilow of heat by convection is improved.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a chickbrooder which will be relatively simple and inexpensive to manufactureand install, easy to operate, maintain and repair, and rugged anddurable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention Will becomeapparent from a consideration of the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a chick brooder according to thepresent invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the improved radiantof the present invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the radiant of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown a chicklbrooder according to the present invention, comprising a downwardlyconcave ribbed hood 1 of sheet metal or the like, which is suspended byhangers 3 from the ceiling of the building (not shown). As is customary,the brooder can =be suspended at any desired height or raised orlowered, in order to obtain the desired temperature.

Hangers 3 terminate at their lower ends in hooks 5 which extend throughears 7 at the upper ends of straps 9. Ears 7 extend through slots in thetop of hood 1 and are interconnected with straps 9 by horizontalportions .on which the hood rests.

The lower ends of straps 9 converge and are secured to and support aplate 11 which is also the support plate for the burner 13. Gas issupplied to the burner 13 from a source of gas (not shown), by means ofa supply conduit 15 controlled by a valve 17. A pilot conduit 19supplies gas to a pilot light for burner 13. A thermocouple 21 isprovided for the automatic control of valve 17.

Intermediate their height, the straps 9 have horizontal portions 23 onwhich detachably rests a horizontally disposed annular sheet metalheat-diverter ring 25. Ring 25 is also a iigure of revolution and isupwardly concave, with its radially inner edge disposed lower than itsradially outer edge. In its preferred form, ring 25 has a radially innerportion 27 disposed in a horizontal plane and a radially outer portion29 that is upwardly inclined and ice is conical in the illustratedembodiment. It will be understood, however, that ring 25 can havesmoothly rounded curves as viewed in cross section, such as an annularsegment of a spherical orv elliptical or parabolic or hyperfbolicsurface. Ring 25 can also be substantially entirely conical.

On its radially inner edge, ring 25 supports a radiant 31 of ceramicmaterial, preferably refractory material such as iire clay or the like.Radiant 31 has an annular downwardly opening peripheral recess 33 thathas an upright inner side wall 35 and a horizontal upper side wall 37.Recess 33 is thus in the form of a downwardly and outwardly openingcircular rebate. Side wall 35 serves to bcenter radiant 31 in ring 25.Side wall 37 supports radiant 31 on the radially inner edge of ring 25.

Radiant 31 is of generally uniformthickness throughout and is in thegeneral form of a figure of revolution. 'I'he conguration of theunderside of radiant 31 is of great importance. The center of theunderside of radiant 31 is occupied by a central boss 39. Radiallyoutwardly of boss 39, the underside of radiant 31 is an annular surface41 which is a figure of revolution which is the locus of a downwardlyconcave generator line moving about a vertical axis, the radially innerend of the line being substantially lower than the radially outer end ofthe line. Preferably, the slope of the radially inner end of the line issteeply inclined and of the order of magnitude of 30-45 of arc, whilethe slope of the radially outer end of the generator line for annularsurface 41 is less steeply inclined and may be zero or even sloped a fewdegrees in the opposite sense from the radially inner end of the line.The hot gas flow is therefore rapid at the hot center, and relativelyslow at the outer portion of the radiant.

Annular surface 41 is covered with a multiplicity of downwardlyextending generally conical projections 43 that are integral with thematerial of radiant 31. Radiant 31 is preferably cast or molded from aceramic slurry or slip, so that projections 43 can easily be formed bycasting.

In operation, with burner 13 lit, heat rises against central boss 39 andspreads radially outwardly of radiant 31 by convection. The hot gasmoves quickly up the most steeply inclined radially inner portions ofannular surface 41, and more slowly toward the radially outer portions.In view of the fact that the hot gas is at the same time spreading overa larger surface, the entire annular surface 41 thus tends to be evenlyheated. In other words, the hot gas gives up more total heat to theradially outer portions of surface 41, because it spends more time incontact with them as it travels more slowing past them; but this isbalanced by the fact ythat the total area occupied by these radiallyouter portions is substantially greater than that occupied by theradially inner portions.

The slope of the radially outer portion of annular surface 41 is notmuch diiferent from that of the radially inner portion of ring 25, sothat there is a smooth progression of the rising hot gases from radiant31 to ring 25 and beyond.

At the same time, the projections 43 greatly increase the radiatingsurface area of radiant 31, so that maximum radiative heat transfer tothe chicks is achieved.

From a consideration of the foregoing disclosure, therefore, it will beunderstood that all of the initially recited objects of the presentinvention have lbeen achieved.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated inconnection with a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood thatmodifications and variations 'may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention, as those skilled in this art will readilyunderstand.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1'. In a chick brooder of the type having a hood and a burner disposedbeneath the hood, the improvement comprising a ceramic radiant disposedabove and centrally adjacent over the burner and below the hood, theunder surface of the radiant being a contoured surface and beingupwardly outwardly inclined and being defined at least in part rby adownwardly concave generator line whose radially inner end issubstantially lower than its radially outer end and that revolves abouta vertical axis near the center of the radiant, the radially innerportion of said under surface of said radiant being substantially moresteeply inclined to the vertical than the radially Outer portion of saidunder surface, said contoured surface constituting a means forconducting the hot gas flow from the burner at a faster rate past thecenter of the radiant than past the outer portion of the radiant.

2. A chick brooder as claimed in claim 1, and a plurality of downwardlyextending conical projections on the under surface of the radiant, theaxes of said conical projections being parallel to said vertical axis.

3. A chick brooder as claimed in claim 1 and a plurality of downwardlyextending tapered projections on the under surface of the radiant.

4. A chick brooder as claimed in clairn 3, said projections beingconical.

5. A chick brooder as claimed in claim 1, said radiant having adownwardly outwardly opening rebate about its lower marginal edge, andmeans extending into said rebate to support said radiant in a horizontalposition above the burner.

6. A chick brooder as claimed in claim 5, said support means comprisinga generally horizontally disposed annular sheet metal ring.

7. A chick brooder as claimed in claim 6, said sheet metal ring being anupwardly concave ligure of revolution whose radially inner edge isdisposed lower than its radially outer edge.

I8. A chick brooder as claimed in claim 6, and spaced supportsinterconnecting the :burner and the hood, said metal ring resting bygravity on said spaced supports.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,051,213 8/1936 Hamilton 126-922,130,086 9/1938 Hart 126-85 2,240,571 5/1941 Olson et al. 119-322,985,137 5/1961 Horne 119-32 3,279,455 10/ 1966 Corey 126-92 3,349,75210/1967 Murphy 119-32 ALDRICH F. MEDBERY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.126-92

